To phrase a played out television series, the “Tim Tebow” show has officially jumped the shark.

Texas Gov. and Presidential hopeful Rick Perry pulled the Tim Tebow card during a Republican debate in Sioux City, Iowa Thursday night sparking a round of animated applause from the audience. Perry was asked if he’d be able to handle debating President Barack Obama especially given his standing in the polls and the Texas Gov. responded, “I hope I am the Tim Tebow of the Iowa caucuses.”

“There are a lot of folks that said Tim Tebow wasn’t going to be a very good NFL quarterback. There are people that stood up and said well, he doesn’t have the right throwing mechanisms, or he doesn’t — you know, he is not playing the game right. You know, he won two national championships, and that looked pretty good.

We’re the national champions in job creation back in Texas. But am i ready for the next level? Let me tell you — I hope I am the Tim Tebow of the Iowa caucuses.”

I can’t decide if Perry’s Tebow reference was funny or just lame. What do you think?

Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow (15) makes a pass attempt during the fourth quarter of the game against the Chicago Bears at Sports Authority Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

Tim Tebow mania has been around for at least four years, but hit fever pitch in the 2011 NFL season.

From the Denver Broncos quarterback controversy with Kyle Orton, to the unexpected win streak with his electrifying fourth quarter finishes, to the bromance with ESPN’s Skip Bayless, to the debate out his Christian faith and now yet another Sports Illustrated cover, Tim Tebow chatter has completely dominated media coverage of the NFL season.

But one has to wonder if this gets under the skin of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers a little. Rodgers is the reigning Super Bowl MVP and is leading an impressive campaign to the first undefeated NFL season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins. And let’s not forget he’s trying to accomplish this in the face of some pretty elite quarterback competition with the likes of Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Eli Manning (yes, I’m adding him to the list of elite quarterbacks).

Fans still consider Aaron Rodgers the favorite as he still has the top selling jersey while Tim Tebow’s jersey jumped back into the top 10 last month after an impressive undefeated streak.

Should Aaron Rodgers be a little salty at the media for letting Tim Tebow take some of his shine? Or does this all just add to the hype of an exciting NFL season?

Internet rumors have been flying about a potential coupling of Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, who is going through a divorce, and Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow.

But Lindsey Vonn set the record straight in a short commentary she wrote for the Denver Post about Tim Tebow and her experience sitting in a skybox with Tebow’s family during the Denver Broncos’ 13-10 win against the Chicago Bears Sunday.

“A lot of people are wondering what’s up with me and the Tebows. I’m just friends with the family. I met Tim and his brother Pete at the ESPY Awards like three or four years ago in the gym — we were working out there. I spent more time with Tim and his brother at the V Foundation Golf Tournament, and this year at the ESPYs,” Vonn wrote.

She added, “I pretty much know their whole family now. They’re great people. It’s pretty awesome to be able to hang out with them — and to be able to witness the amazing things Tim and the Broncos can do.

I really get inspired by other athletes. I like to believe that the impossible is possible, and people like that make you believe.”

While there are no sparks for the athletic duo, there is plenty of chemistry between ESPN’s Skip Bayless and Tim Tebow.

Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow (15) kneels in prayer before the game against the Chicago Bears during at Sports Authority Field. The Broncos defeated the Bears 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

Let’s face it.

It’s been a rough year in sports. From NFL to NBA lockouts to basketball brawls – abroad and at home – multiple sex scandals and beyond, sports fans could use a few reasons to cheer.

Tim Tebow has offered the perfect escape. Whether you love to cheer against or for him, at least you’re watching and enjoying (hopefully) his football games. Even more impressive, perhaps, Tebow has taken a largely irrelevant Denver Broncos team that few NFL fans cared about nationally – outside of the Mile High city – and transformed this team into must-see television.

Tim Tebow, Matt Prater (former UCF kicker) and Denver’s defense once again helped pull off another thrilling fourth quarter comeback, this time a 13-10 win against the injury-riddled Chicago Bears. That win marked the sixth consecutive win since Tim Tebow was named the Denver Broncos starter.

During the Sunday night football broadcast on NBC, Bob Costasastutely pointed out that the only quarterback with a higher winning percentage this year than Tim Tebow is Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers. And the ever-popular subject of Tim Tebow’s Christian beliefs came up again, but Costas seemed to approach this with a balanced view.

Bob Costas – “Still, there is no doubt that Tebow and his team benefit from his honest belief. How? Frank Bruni put it well in today’s New York Times. Whatever Tebow may lack in classic NFL quarterbacking traits, he possesses other qualities in abundance. And in his case, those qualities — confidence, equanimity, optimism — and a presence that can’t be explained, but can certainly be felt. The whole Tebow persona derives from how he sees the world, and his place in it. Those qualities, no matter how one comes by them, are an asset, perhaps especially in sports.

Good for Tebow, and those who share his beliefs. And those who don’t can still acknowledge, and appreciate, that who Tim Tebow is, is not only genuine, but for the moment at least, it makes him and the Broncos, one of the most fascinating, and in whatever sense you interpret it, uplifting stories in sports.”

Some people prefer a rabbit’s foot, a lucky pair of socks or some other trinket to bring luck. But NASCAR driver Regan Smith is looking for Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow to bring him a little good fortune.

According to Smith’s p.r. reps, Smith plans to bring his No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet car to the Denver Broncos-Chicago Bears game in Denver Sunday in the hopes that Tim Tebow’s luck will rub off on him and his Sprint Cup team when the season starts next February with Daytona 500. Smith, 28, got his first career victory at the Showtime Southern 500 in Darlington, South Carolina in May.

Fans can stop by Smith’s car for autographs at Mile High Stadium.

“It’s been so exciting to follow the Broncos and watch in amazement the winning leadership of Tim Tebow,” said Smith, a Denver-area resident. “This is a great opportunity to have our Furniture Row race car on display for Colorado sports fans. The way the Broncos are playing as of late it’s like taking the lead during the closing laps of a Sprint Cup race and holding off the competition to the checkered flag. It’s been an exciting but nerve-racking season for all Broncos fans.”

Bill Cosby speaks after receiving the MLB Beacon of Hope award during the Major League Baseball Beacon Awards Luncheon at the Duke Energy Convention Center, Saturday, June 20, 2009, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/David Kohl)

Bill Cosby made a short promotional video in light of his upcoming performance in Denver next March and gave the Denver Broncos’ controversial quarterback a huge shout out.

“I like the way that team plays football and all of these people who don’t understand it tell ‘em to c’mon and beat him. Because it’s football ‘boom, boom.’ And tell Tim [Tebow], I said don’t worry about what all of these people are saying, just show him old films of Joe Kapp, Minnesota Vikings. Football played.”

Maybe old Cosby has a point about comparing Joe Kapp and Tim Tebow’s unorthodox styles. But let’s just hope Tebow doesn’t share Kapp’s affinity for the 1-2 punch.

Tim Tebow #15 of the Denver Broncos prays during the final minute of the game against the New York Jets at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on November 17, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/Getty Images)

Behind Bob and Pam Tebow, ESPN personality Skip Bayless might be the biggest Tim Tebow fan. So it was with great hype and anticipation from the Mickey Mouse sports nation that Bayless interviewed Tim Tebow for the first time Tuesday morning (see the world wide twitter campaign #WhenSkipMeetsTebow).

Bayless conducted a lengthy phone interview with Tim Tebow and asked him about his throwing game, the opinions of his Denver Broncos bosses – namely John Elway, and the comments former Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer made about his irritation with Tebow’s constant recognition of his Christian faith.

To sum up Tebow’s responses, basically he doesn’t care about or pay attention to others opinions about his play because he’s living his childhood dream and believes in himself and the platform he’s been given to be a role model. Here’s the highlights from that interview.

On Tebow’s future in Denver

Tebow : Well, I just consider myself very blessed and I thank the Lord everyday that they gave me a chance to come into the National Football League and live my dream everyday because it has been my dream to be an NFL quarterback since I was six-years-old. I’m also very thankful that they give me an opportunity to be the starting quarterback for this organization and I’ve had a blast living out my dream for the last five weeks and I will continue to work as hard as I can to make this organization proud and everytime I step on the field I will give everything I have and I will leave everything I have on the field every single Sunday.

Bayless:Have you seen or heard Jake Plummer’s comments about you on our radio interview that he did in Phoenix yesterday?

Tebow: No, I have not heard. (Bayless reads the quotes)

Well, first I’d say, thank you for the compliment of calling me a winner and then I’d also say if you’re married and you’re a [husband] is it good enough to only say you love her on the day you get married or should you tell her every single day when you wake up and have an opportunity? And that’s how I feel about my relationship with Jesus Christ. It is the most important thing in my life so anytime I get an opportunity to tell him that I love him or give him an opportunity to shout him out on national TV, I’m gonna take that opportunity. So I look at that as a relationship that I have with him that I want to give him honor and glory anytime I have the opportunity and then right after I give him honor and glory. then I want to try and give my teammates honor and glory and that’s how it works because Christ comes first in my life, then my family, and then my teammates and so I respect Jake’s opinion and I really appreciate his compliment of calling me a winner but I feel like anytime I get the opportunity to give the Lord some praise he is due for it because of what he did for me and what he did for us on the cross for all of us.

Bayless: Do you believe that the power and strength that you gain from your relationship with God gives you an edge on the football field?

Tebow: Well, I think it’s more than what it can do for me on the football field. It makes me who I am as a person and I think it does help me on the football field because it gives me a peace beyond all understanding and it gives me such a comfort that I know no matter what happens on the field, win or lose, that God is in control and he has a plan for my life and that gives me perspective that I know no matter what happens on the football field, that it doesn’t define my life. That’s not what defines Tim Tebow as a person. But what it does do is give me a platform to be a great role model for the next generation to try to make a difference, to try to the man that dads can look to their sons and that’s trying to do it the right way, that’s trying to stand up for character, strength and honor, do what’s right, do what’s best and treat other people the way you’d want to be treated and that’s what I want to be. I want to be a great role model and be what Danny Wuerffel was to me and I want to be someone who makes difference. Because at the end of the day if all we’re doing is winning and losing football games and scoring touchdowns, then we really haven’t done a lot in our lives. But if we’re in the business of encouraging people, bring faith, hope and love to those on their darkest hour of need as the mission statement of my foundation reads then we’re really ding something successful with our lives. So I’m going to take the platform that football has given me and try to give back, make a difference and make this world a better place.

Bayless: Can you convince me that you will sustain this [momentum] the rest of the year?

Tebow: Well Mr. Bayless it’s not necessarily my job to convince you, it’s my job to go out and practice today and get a little better and be a great teammate and try to find a way to win this Sunday. I’m not in the business of convincing people that I can be a quarterback. I just want to go out there and live my dream and play quarterback and live my dream and I’m really thankful that the Broncos are giving me that opportunity.

Bayless: So will you vow for me the way you did after the Ole Miss loss at home that you will win the AFC West?

Tebow:(laughs) No sir, I will not vow to you that. But I will say that we have a very competitive team, a very resilient team that believes that everytime we step onto that field, we will give everything that we have because that’s just the character of this team and I’m proud to be apart of it.

So what are your thoughts on Tebow’s responses? Did you love it or hate it? Sound off.

Vince Young of Philadelphia Eagles pictured on left, Tim Tebow of Denver Broncos pictured on right.

Vince Young and Tim Tebow have a lot in common.

Both were fantastic college quarterbacks at marquee programs like Texas and Florida. Both are strong option quarterbacks. And both are looking to prove they deserve to be starting quarterbacks in the NFL.

Both Young and Tebow made impressive cases for this in Week 11 of NFL play. Vince Young, playing in place of injured Michael Vick, led the Philadelphia Eagles to a must-win 17-10 game against Eli Manning and the New York Giants. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Young has more skilled weapons like DeSean Jackson. Young completed 23 of 36 passes for 258 yards and two touchdown passes, including the go-ahead touchdown to seal the victory.

Tim Tebow, who replaced Kyle Orton, is 4-1 as a starter for the Denver Broncos after knocking off Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets 17-13 in a Thursday night contest at home last week. Tebow completed 9 of 20 passes for 104 yards and rushed for 68 yards including one touchdown run.

Neither of these quarterbacks had flawless games and we’re not suggesting they should be anywhere near the category of the Aaron Rodgers and Tom Bradys of the league BUT…

If you had to start a franchise with either of these guys who would you pick and why? Sound off.

Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow (15) completed a pass in the third quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs. (Kansas City Star)

Honesty is always the best policy. Especially when its coming from Denver Broncos coach John Fox.

John Fox gave a brutally honest take on Tim Tebow to NFL.com writer Jeff Darlington recently in light of the Broncos Thursday night game against the New York Jets.

When asked about his new strategy with Tebow, Fox had this to say.

“Do whatever the hell it takes,” he laughed. “I mean, what the hell? You don’t get points for style in this league. Let me tell you something: My man is really good in this offense. You know what I mean?

“If we were trying to run a regular offense, he’d be screwed.”

I love how Fox is clear about his pronouns here, he’d (as in Tim Tebow) be screwed not we. I don’t know if it’d be wise, but it’d sure be more entertaining if every NFL coach was as blatantly honest as Fox is here about Tim Tebow.

Fox said the Broncos implemented eight new plays, mostly read options, to accommodate Tebow’s style of play after the Broncos 45-10 loss to Detroit.

“What he does against conventional teams is rush the passer. Well, we don’t have a passer. We have a runner. Not to say he can’t pass at all, but we’re recognizing his strengths.”

Buried beneath the NFL storylines this week about the play of young quarterbacks like Tim Tebow, Cam Newton and Christian Ponder, and the Baltimore Ravens offensive meltdown at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars, is another brewing fall out between the NFL and NFL players association.

Members of congress and the NFL want to enforce mandatory blood testing for HGH and the NFL Players Association is resisting. And for some odd reason, this topic isn’t dominating the talking heads of ESPN and the media world this week.

The NFLPA is actually asking players to refuse testing if approached this week.

Why?

Because the group is concerned the World Anti-Doping Agency standards for naturally occuring levels of human growth hormone would not accurately apply to pro football players, who may have naturally higher levels in their systems. Not to mention a failed drug test means appealing to Dr. Doomsday Roger Goodell.

If you’ll recall, one component of the new collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and NFLPA (after an arduous NFL lockout earlier this year), was for both sides to agree to HGH blood tests.

Much like the MLB (and the infamous Mitchell Report), there is belief that football players are using the performance enhancer and respected CBS NFL analyst and former New York Jets quarterback Boomer Esiasonestimates that at least 20 percent of NFL players are abusing HGH.

It’s understandable for players to have some concern over tests, but isn’t any testing better than no testing at all? Aren’t we talking about the long-term health of the players? Aren’t these the same players who were concerned about their health after the NFL tried to add games to their schedule?

The NFL has the signature of 32 physicians and scientist who have endorsed the validity of the test so it’s perplexing that the players association would stall this process which is only adding to the long-term benefit of their health.